1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving support method and apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In-vehicle systems for capturing an image of area which is hidden from the driver as a blind spot, using an on-board camera, and for displaying the image on a display monitor are known. One such system uses an on-board camera to capture an image of area which is hidden from the driver's view by a front pillar in the vehicle and displays the image on the interior surface of the front pillar. The front pillars are located to the right and left front of the driver to support the front window and the roof of the vehicle and obstruct the driver's view. However, the front pillars are required to have certain dimensions to ensure the safety of the driver.
The system described above includes an in-vehicle (on-board) camera, an image processor for processing an image signal output from the in-vehicle camera, a display which is mounted on the interior side of the front pillar for display of the image, and a projector for projecting the image onto the interior surface of the front pillar. Such a system provides the driver with a front view, as if the front pillars were transparent, and allows the driver to see a road shape and/or an obstacle in front of the vehicle at an intersection that otherwise could not be seen. However, problems remain as to how to display images corresponding to the movement of the driver and how to display images smoothly contiguous with the driver's actual view.
The apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (“Kokai”) No. 2005-184225 captures images of areas surrounding a vehicle with in-vehicle cameras, the cameras being individually attached at right and left side mirrors, and projects the images onto interior surfaces of front pillars of the vehicle. The apparatus further detects coordinates of the eyes of the driver of the vehicle and corrects the images provided by the cameras on the basis of the detected positions of the eyes of the driver.
However, with the apparatus described in Japanese Kokai 2005-184225, each image is respectively generated by a single one of the cameras, so that the generated image extends over only a limited viewing area even if the apparatus detects the coordinates of the eyes of the driver and corrects the image on the basis of those detected coordinates. More specifically, for example, in the case of a vehicle with a right side steering wheel, the driver seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle may see an obstacle located to the front and right of the vehicle if the driver leans forward and peers at the area to the front and right of the vehicle, through the front window. However, the driver may not be able to see that obstacle if his/her back remains in position against the back of the seat (hereinafter, “standard posture”). Further, even in the case of an obstacle which can be seen both when the driver leans forward and when the driver remains in the standard posture, there is both a visible side and an invisible side of the obstacle, depending on the position of the driver. The apparatus described in Japanese Kokai 2005-184225 uses only 2D coordinates in the image processing and an entire obstacle or a side of an obstacle located out of the range (field of view) of the camera may not be displayed. Therefore, when the driver has any posture other than the standard posture, the image displayed on the surface of the pillar may not be merged (made contiguous) properly with the actual view of the driver from the front window and the door window.